Bis
Slight Disconnects
Late Night From Glasgow
It has been too easy to label Bis as a cartoon punk joke.
The Glasgow trio who are celebrating their 25th anniversary appeared from nowhere to be viewed by millions on defunct prime time TV staple Top of the Pops in 1996 and plugged as the first unsigned band to feature, although this was questionable.
The teenagers' performed the addictive John Peel-backed shouty pop punk Kandy Pop and it hurtled their Secret Vampire Soundtrack EP, featuring them as comic strip characters, into the pop charts.
Their animated new wave translated to Japan but they were undoubtedly dogged with the notion of being a mere here-today-gone-tomorrow novelty.
Their second album Social Dancing saw them aim to be more mature, maybe as a response, with the only hint of caricature, a silhouette logo and at this point the rot may have set in and momentum was lost.
Looking beyond the Teen C Power sloganeering and the pop cheese, here was a band who produced fresh, naggingly catchy, hook-laden synth-punk with all the enthusiastic bounce of a puppy dog realising its owner was coming home.
Their fourth album, their first proper for 18 years, sees Steven Clark (Sci-fi Steven), brother John (John Disco) and Amanda MacKinnon (Manda Rin)in their 40s, and transported right back to the teenage playfulness of those early days.
It starts with a spiky bang with Sound Of A Heartbreak, one of the best songs they have ever committed to waveform. It's joyful, confident bubblegum-wave which throws everything to a mix that allows for a short guitar solo and a punch-the-air 'oh oh oh' climax, encapsulating what make Bis so irresistible.
It is no coincidence that the insatiable Dracula, You Broke My Heart synchronises quite nicely with their vampire past and that the backwards-looking Home Economics continues the quest for wall-to-wall melodic earworms.
Two years ago Clark admitted to me that making Bis records "has been difficult" but was promising they would find a way in the future.
Having left aside his aggressive art pop Batteries solo project, he sounds at home in his Sci-Fi Steven persona and the call-and-response trademark harmonies with the squealsome Manda Rin are as cute as ever throughout.
Bis don't slow down on this relentless ten song Devo-inspired rush until the mid-paced Manda Rin-led The Big Sunshine, which rather than acting like an epic finale, ends up limping along to a bland anticlimax.
It's a minor hiccup, though, for a band who don't preach, make no bold statements, and have rediscovered the reasons why they were one of the most infectious and downright fun bands around.
What does the record label say about the Bis return?
Late Night Glasgow say that their combination is "the exact definition of a marriage made in heaven... fresh local produce from Glasgow to the world".
"Bis made huge waves in the 90s with their unique take on new wave pop.
They redefined the word 'prolific' by cramming an astonishing amount of music into a ridiculously short period.
Across three albums, various singles, EPs and countless live performances showcasing their boundless energy, Bis demonstrated something that can often be forgotten in music. It can deliver an enormous slice of fun.
Bouncing feet and ear-to-ear grins were the staple of very show. The band's roots always lay predominantly in the underground but the limelight was never far away. Media darlings one minute then chewed up and spat out by the ever fickle and now defunct UK music press.
Back then Bis communicated their mantra through memorable anthems and paper bullets since social media was yet to be invented, building a solid fan base that's stayed loyal to them ever since.
Slight Disconnects captures all that was brilliant about Bis and drags it seamlessly into the current landscape.
It's a crackling electric current of a record; sparks of optimism exploding through its countless soaring three-way pop harmonies.
Spiky, urgent guitars combine with sharp new wave synths to create unforgettable verses and widly addictive choruses.
Many years may have passed, many bands may have tried to pull off perfect new wave pop and nobody has even come close to competing with the masters.
Slight Disconnects is the sound of their heartbreak and the sound of your heart bursting through your rib cage and splattering onto the dancefloor."
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